Furniture and cabinet panel



sle t. 2, 192,4. 1,507,421

I F. R. ROSSITER FURNITURE AND CABINET P ANEL Filed Nov. 18. 1921 glwuentoz wmmfliww n Patented Sept. 2, 19 2 4.

' UNITED STATES- 1,s07,4z7 PATENT OFFICE.

rnnnnmox n. nossrrn'a, or DAYTON, omo, assreivoa or clan-near 'ro HARRY n.

commas, or mnnnn'rown, onro.

ronm'runa am) oanmn'r PANEL.

Application filed November 18, 1921. Serial-No. 516,192.,-

To all whom may comm: I Be it known that I,- Fnnnnmox R. Rosarms, a citizen of the United States, residing my invention;

at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Furniture and labinet Panels, of which the followmg 1s a s ecification, reference being had therein to t e accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to improvements in furniture and cabinets.

Generally, the invention consists in con-- structing articlesof furniture and cabinets with frames of wood and panels of sheet 'metal; and specifically of such frames of wood provided with grooves and tenons in their respective members and of these sheet metal panels having overturned edges which fit within and duly fill such grooves; and the grooves being of width equal to the thlckness of the tenons are therefore wider than the thickness of the metal panels, and hence the effective thickness of the panels at the points where they enter the grooves'is made equal to the width of the grooves by the folding over of such edges of the panels.

The cost of wooden panels, due'to the general use of high grade wood for that purpose and due to the labor necessary to give them the proper smoothness and evenness of surface, and due also to the common practice of laminating various thicknesses of wooden sheets to form such panels, result in much expense and cost as compared with my sheet metal panels which are cut from large sheets produced by the rapid process of rolling.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a desk constructed according to my invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view on an enlarged scale of a framing and a panel embodymg Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of my improved panel itsel ig. 4 is a sectional view on the hue 44 of Flg. 2; and

Fig. 5 is an end view of one of the frame members showing a tenon and an adjacent narrow groove for the reception of the end of the panel.

The numeral 1 designates a flat top desk embodying my invention and composed gen erally of a top 2, a framing com of upri ht members 3 and horizonta members4 with the usual drawers 4 and, if desired,

slides 6. In the particular style of desk illustrated a compartment '7. is provided.

\Between the vertical members 3 (which usually terminate in legs 8 members 4 of the framlng place my sheet metalpane1s 9. These panels are formed of thin, and usually flat sheets of metal or alloy,

each cut or stamped out of the required size and rovided on two sides with margins 10 partlally bent or folded over to form thickened edges 11, and with projecting ends 12 unfolded, all as clearly seen more particularly in Fig. 3. v

In the construction of furniture and cablnets it is usual to form. the frame members, such as 4, with tenons, such as 5, and the frame members 3 with grooves, such as 3, and these wide grooves usually extend throughout that part of the length ofthe members 3 Where the usual thick wooden panels are fitted. In order to utilize this usual frame construction in connection'with my very thin metallic panels I in elfect thicken the sides of these thin panels by folding their edges over to form the margins 11 of a thickness suflicient to fitfirmly in the grooves 3, as clearly seen in Fig. 4.

The end members 4 of theframing I pro- 1 the panel features of articles of furniture,

and horizontal cabinets and the like comprise these easily and cheaply producedl thin metal or alloy panels characterized by the thickened opposite margins and the projecting thin opposite ends or portions, in connection with the frame members with their wide and narrow grooves The economy with which I produce these panels and their ease of subsequent finish effect a general saving in the cost of production of such panels of substan side thereof, the marginal portions on two of the opposite sides being bent terminating at distances remote from the other ends of the sheet, whereby the marginal portions on the other sides of the sheet form tongues lying in the plane of the central portion, and a frame comprising side and end members, said side members each having each end mortised and provided on their inner edges with grooves extending from one mortise to the other and of the same width as said mortises, said grooves being of proper size to receive the bent marginal portions of the panel, the end members having at each end a tenon fitting the respective mortises and being provided with narrow grooves extending from end to end and having each one side co-terminus with a respective side of the grooves in the first mentioned side frame members and being of substantially the same thicknesses as the metallic sheet to receive the straight tongue mar 'nal portions thereof, the bent margina portions having their ends terminating under the end members of the frame.

2. In combination, a panel for furniture and cabinets consisting of a thin metallic sheet having a central rectangular portion and marginal portions extending from each side thereof, the marginal portions upon 'two of the opposite sides being straight and posite sides being bent to U-shape in cross section with the sides of the U-shape margins spaced from each other and having their opposite ends terminating at points remote from the other end edges of the sheet and a frame comprising side and end members, said side members each having each end mortised and provided on their inner edges with grooves extending from one mortise to the other and of the same width as said mortises, said grooves being of proper size to receive the bent marginal portions of the panel, the end members having at each end a tenon fitting the respective mortises and being provided with narrow grooves extending from end to end and having each one side co-terminus with a respective side i of the grooves in the first mentioned side frame members and being of substantially the same thicknesses as the metallic sheet to receive the straight tongue marginal portions thereof, the bent marginal portions having their ends terminating under the end members of the frame.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature.

FREDERICK R. ROSSITER. 

